


Finwë's Crown

by silvertrails



Series: First Age Arc [5]
Category: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-14
Updated: 2019-01-14
Packaged: 2019-10-10 08:04:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17422058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silvertrails/pseuds/silvertrails





	Finwë's Crown

**Finwë’s Crown  
** By CC  
March, 2012 

This is an amateur effort and does not intend to infringe on the rights of J.R.R. Tolkien. No profit is made and no harm is intended. 

This story is part of the B2Me challenge

* * *

_Card: Sons of Fëanor  
B10: Maedhros as leader_

 

I never wanted Finwë’s crown. I never meant to lead. Oh, I know how to do it. I have been prepared for it by my father first, and by Finwë himself when I was old enough to learn the basics of diplomacy and warfare. Findekáno came later, and at last Findaráto and Laurëfindil. We were trained at Court, as possible heirs of Finwë’s crown.

Father didn’t like it when he heard about Findekáno and my other cousins. I was the third Finwë, and a fourth might come after me, so there was no need to give the same training to his siblings’ offspring. 

It was idle talk as nothing would ever happen to Finwë… 

Or so we thought… 

Even before Finwë was killed by Moringotto, his crown went to Nolofinwë, and now it must be 0n Arafinwë’s head, yet it is on my head too as I am my father’s heir. I must lead my people in these lands, and I must lead them to victory. 

Our allies are still with us, Maelathron, and Laeglas, and their people whom we call Grey Elves. We know there are a few Tatyar who stayed behind south from Lake Mithrim, but we have not met them yet.

“Everything is ready, Maitimo,” Makalaurë says. He believes this is a bad idea, but we have no choice but to play Moringotto’s game. We can kill his Orcs, and we might be able to deal with his Dragons, but those creatures of fire are strong. We need to strike fast before they reach our encampment. 

“Let us go,” I say, and we ride out of the encampment in silence, Tyelkormo and Carnistir behind. Curufinwë will stay in the encampment, along with the twins. Curufinwë is not happy, but we have to keep the encampment safe. We know not how many of those Spirits of Fire serve Moringotto, and how fast they can travel. 

All we know is that they killed Father after a fierce battle. They killed Father and that is why I am going to continue this quest, and defeat Moringotto and take the Silmarils from him. 

I urge my horse into a gallop, and my brothers and people follow me. 

We will prevail.

I will not listen to the voice deep inside me that tells me that we cannot defeat him.

* * *

_Card: Sons of Fëanor  
B4: “Maedhros alone stood aside”_

 

We return from battle with half our people, and without Maitimo. We were supposed to vanquish Moringotto, but he almost destroyed us. He has taken Maitimo. We fought valiantly, but they were more and the Balrogs were too strong for us. We lead a diminished force back into our encampment. Makalaurë looks shaken, Carnistir is too calm, and I do not know what to say when Curufinwë, who has come to meet us, asks about our brother.

“Turko, tell me where is Maitimo?” he asks again.

I say the words and it becomes real. “Moringotto’s Orcs have taken him.”

“What say you?”

The twins arrive in time to hear my words.

“Who has taken Maitimo?” Telvo demands. 

“Our enemy,” Makalaurë says.

“And you dare to come back here without him?” Curufinwë grabs my tunic. “How could you abandon him?”

“We did not abandon him,” Carnistir says. “We could do nothing to save him.”

“Is he dead then?” Pityo asks, eyes wild. 

Curufinwë freezes. He lets go of my tunic before I forcibly remove his hands. I know he wants to hit me, to hit Makalaurë and Carnistir, to hit anyone and blame anyone because he was not in battle. 

“He was alive when they took him,” Makalaurë says, “but after that, we do not know.”

I briefly wonder if Lord Namo would even open his gates for us, but dismiss the thought. I must concentrate on the present moment. 

“If you saw him alive, why did you not charge against his captors, Káno?” Pityo demands.

“Because I had lost half my men,” he says. “I could not lead them into a certain death.”

“You should have tried to save Maitimo nevertheless!” Telvo exclaims. 

“If Makalaurë had charged, he would be dead, or in Moringotto’s hands,” Carnistir says slowly. 

Curufinwë turns to him. “And you, what were you doing, Moryo?” 

“I was holding another host of those creatures back, so they did not reach the encampment!” he snapped. 

“I could have dealt with them,” Curufinwë says, but he is starting to understand.

Maelathron is there too, silent and weary. I know he will not intervene in family matters. He has been Father’s ally, and then Maitimo’s. He spoke against parleying with Moringotto, and he was right. As Makalaurë was. 

“It should have been me, not Maitimo,” Pityo says suddenly, and I look at him sharply. “I helped Father to burn the ships, I… Maitimo alone stood aside and he…”

Telvo places a hand on Pityo’s shoulder, and he grows silent. We breathe easier. If Pityo mentions Alqualondë, Maelathron and his people will no longer be our allies.

“Maitimo was our leader,” Makalaurë says softly. “It is true that he was not to blame for the ships but this is not because of what we did, Pityo. This is war.”

He turned to Maelathron. “What say you now, Maelathron? Do you think Moringotto has killed my brother?”

“I believe that he would have killed him there if he meant to do it. Turning him into an Orc would serve no purpose.”

“So Maitimo is a hostage,” Makalaurë says.

Maelathron nods and we fall in silence. If he is right, we might still be able to bring Maitimo back, but what will Moringotto ask from us? We cannot forswear the Oath, and we are not strong enough to rip Maitimo from his hands.

* * *

_Card: Sons of Fëanor  
B14: The twins not as best friends_

 

Silence has fallen over the encampment, and Noldor and Gray Elves are resting for the day, ready to take arms if the sentinels that patrol the area beyond the woods give the voice of alarm. It is the third day after Maitimo was taken by Moringotto’s Orcs.

The wounded have been tended by the healers, and the dead - those whose bodies could be recovered - have been buried. After Alqualondë, Telvo hoped to never see blood and death ever again, but it seems it is part of their doom.

Tyelkormo and Curufinwë tried to find a safe path to Moringotto’s stronghold, but deep shadows and poisonous fumes stopped their advance. The same happened to Makalaurë and Carnistir, who tried to find a pass through the mountains. Telvo wants to try again, with Pityo at his side. Maybe Laeglas will join them.

He finds his twin sitting in front of the tent he shares with Laeglas. It is strange for Telvo to see his brother with a lover, but he understands. He just wishes they could spend more time together.

“Pityo…”

“Call me Amrod, Telvo.”

Telvo sighs softly. “Amrod, we cannot leave Maitimo there.”

“You heard Makalaurë and the others. They could not get close enough to the battlefield, and Moringotto’s fortress is in the cold north. There are shadows and darkness.”

“But we could try to find another way, past the Fens of Serech perhaps?”

“Are you out of your mind, Telvo? Those marshes are dangerous! We do not know what lies beyond. We could find someone… something unexpected. We are not going to leave the encampment, and if you try, I will follow you and bring you back!”

“What is it that you fear, Amrod?”

“I fear nothing!”

“I will go alone, and you cannot stop me!”

“If Pityo doesn’t stop you, I will.”

It is Carnistir. Laeglas has come out of the tent when Amrod’s voice rose. 

Telvo shakes his head, and leaves. Pityo paled when he mentioned the marshes, and the lands beyond. 

I will find a way to escape and free Maitimo from Moringotto’s hands…

* * *

I dismiss the healer, trying not to be too harsh and failing. I care not about his advice. I cannot rest calmly while my brother is still in Moringotto’s hands. We have not received word from his captor yet, but I am certain we will. Turko says that Moringotto is taking his time and will send an envoy when he thinks we are ready to submit to his will.

We will not! Even if Maitimo is in his hands, we cannot renounce the Oath. We promised Father to defeat Moringotto, and defeat him we will. We will find a way.

I am sitting on my cot, and Telperinquar is standing close, looking pale and drawn. Father’s death has hit him hard, and now that Maitimo is gone, he sleeps badly. I sleep badly too. If I had been there with Maitimo I might have been able to save him! 

“Damn!”

My son looks at me, startled at my outburst, but wisely refrains from asking what it wrong. He is too young to fight, yet he was with me when I stayed behind our main lines to protect the encampment. He is too young for this, but life is hard and he has to learn. 

A hand moves the tent flap aside and I see Tyelkormo. “Curvo?”

“Come in.”

He nods and looks at my son. 

“Telperinquar, Káno wants you to help him.”

“Go,” I say when Telperinquar looks at me.

“I will be back as soon as I can, Papa.”

“It will be good for him to leave this tent for a while,” Turko says. He sits on my son’s cot. His light-brown hair is loosely braided. He looks as tired as I feel. 

“Why would Káno need Telperinquar’s help?”

“He is planning to build a small village, and your son is good at drawing maps and layouts, but mostly he wants him to forget about Moringotto for a while.”

I feel so angry I could hit Káno if he came to my tent. “Has he gone insane?” I demand.

“He is trying to deal with Maitimo’s capture in his own way.”

“Building a village?”

“We need to build dwellings for us and our allies.”

I stand, fists clenched. “And forget Maitimo?”

Tyelkormo stays where he is. “Curvo, we will try again, but not before we hear of Moringotto. He might have a deal to offer to us.”

“Like what? Become his thralls?”

Tyelkormo frowns. “The mountain passes are packed with Orcs and Dragons, and the plains beyond are full of poisonous fumes and impenetrable shadows. We need to rescue Maitimo, but we need to know what Moringotto has in mind.”

I laugh, and Turko looks at me as if I have become insane. 

He stands and grabs my arms. “Curvo, stop it!”

“We tried to trick him, remember? And we lost Maitimo. This is the stupidest plan I’ve heard of!”

“It is all we have,” Turko says. He lets go of me. “I am going to help Káno. The twins and Carnistir are there too. You can either stay here, or come with us and help. You dismissed the healer, after all, so you must be feeling better.”

I scowl at him, but I stand and walk past him and out of the tent. I gasp when a sharp pain on my side reminds me that the sword that cut me was poisoned. I stop walking, and wait for Tyelkormo to reach my side.

He offers no help, but waits until I have caught my breath. “Come on,” he says, and we walk together toward Káno’s tent.

* * *

I knew that Telvo would do something foolish. I am so angry that I do not stop walking when my lover joins me, and try to ignore him. Laeglas walks at my side, and when I start to run, he follows, all the time trying to calm me. 

“He might be taking a walk,” he says.

“You do not expect me to believe that!”

Laeglas sighs. “He cannot leave the encampment without being seen by the sentries. They will stop him.”

“What if Telvo manages to escape anyway?”

Laeglas finally loses patience and grabs one of my arms, effectively blocking my attempt at pushing him back with the other. I love him, and I do not want to hit him, but I will if he does not let go of me. 

“Calm down!”

“Let go of me, Laeglas!”

“No.”

I struggle to break his grip, but he is annoyingly strong. I am about to hit him where he will hurt more when I realize that he is looking at some point behind me. I realize that Telvo is back. I sense his presence through our mental connection. 

Telvo looks angry, and I realize why. Carnistir is walking a few paces behind him, followed by two sentries. 

I am so relieved that they stopped him!

“Telvo…”

“I am Amras now,” he says, and I wince. I know he is still angry at my change of name.

“We will find a way to rescue Maitimo.”

“How? I’m not even allowed to leave the encampment!”

Amras leaves, and I look at Carnistir. 

“One of our sentries on the north saw a group of Orcs coming our way. They are few, though, and their captain is not an Orc, so he is probably a corrupted Maia.”

“So he is coming to parley with us.”

Carnistir nods, and something like pain crosses his features. I wonder at it, but make no comment. My brother has always been able to sense if one of us is in pain, but Maitimo is too far away for that.

“Let us go to Makalaurë’s tent,” Laeglas says softly. “Maelathron would be there now.”

“Go,” Carnistir says. “We will probably meet Moringotto’s envoy outside the encampment, but we need to prepare first. We cannot allow them to capture another of us.”

“Where are you going, Moryo?” I ask.

“I need to speak with Turko first. Please tell Káno we will be there soon.”

* * *

I wait until Pityo and Laeglas are gone, knowing that they will tell Telvo and Alagor about Moringotto’s envoy. I close my eyes and try to dismiss the fact that I cannot feel Maitimo at all. He cannot be dead, or Moringotto would have nothing to bargain with.

Does he need anything to bargain with? Can he not simply send his Dragons and Balrogs against us? Even if the Orcs are pitiful creatures unable to stand up to our strength, the other creatures are powerful.

I shake my head, trying to clear it. I must speak with Turko and Curvo about our plans. We cannot leave the encampment now, not until we know what Moringotto’s envoy has to say. 

“We are going anyway,” Curufinwë says as soon as I tell them the news.

“We will listen to what this envoy has to say first,” Tyelkormo says firmly. He looks at me, a clear warning in his eyes before he turns to Curufinwë again. I nod, though I would still go on with our plans, no matter what. 

“What if this is a trap and they take another one of us?”

“We will be prepared this time, Curvo. Let us go to speak with Makalaurë. He is our leader now, so we will hear what he has to say before we do anything.”

“Maitimo is not dead!” I exclaim before I can stop myself. 

Curufinwë stares at me, but it is Tyelkormo who realizes what is going on. He sighs.

“I know That Maitimo is not dead, Moryo, but while he is in Moringotto’s hands, Káno is in charge.”

“We were going to leave without telling him,” Curufinwë points out as we start our way to Makalaurë’s tent. 

Tyelkormo nods. “I was planning to tell him.”

Curufinwë looks angry, and so am I, but Tyelkormo is right. We cannot simply leave the encampment without telling our brother. I just thought that we were going to leave him a message before leaving.

We walk in silence, and when we reach Makalaurë’s tent we can see something akin to relief in his eyes. He sees more than we think. 

“We will meet with Moringotto’s envoys here,” Makalaurë says, pointing to a place in the mountains than we can defend well. He is using one of the maps that Father and Maelathron made before he died. 

“We are going with you,” Pityo says.

Makalaurë shakes his head. “No, you are going with Maelathron. He will be waiting up here in case there are problems. Moryo, you and Curufinwë will be here, while Turko and I speak to Moringotto.”

“You will not go there without us!” I say. “It is in numbers that we are strong, Káno.”

Makalaurë nods quietly. “You will be close enough both to help us if needed be and to warn Maelathron. We cannot risk us all falling into a trap.”

“And so you and Turko will be the ones he captures now?” Telvo demands. 

Pityo seems about to say something, but it is Makalaurë who speaks. “We cannot fight amongst ourselves. We need to act as one if we want to save Maitimo.”

Telvo nods and I can feel my brothers yielding to Makalaurë’s reasoning. I find myself agreeing too, though something inside warns me against it. 

Makalaurë looks at Maelathron. The Grey Elf speaks little, less so since Father was killed in battle. 

“What do you think, Maelathron?”

“I believe your plan is good, Makalaurë,” he says in Sindarin. I am getting used to his language, but not to the way he pronounces our names. They sound… different. 

“But…?”

“I would place a patrol in this high point, so they have a view of everything.”

“They might be seen by one of Moringotto’s creatures,” Tyelkormo points out.

Maelathron nods. “And so they will know we are watching them.”

“And we spread the possible targets,” Makalaurë says.

Maelathron nods and I can see a new respect for the Gray Elves’ leader in Curufinwë’s eyes. The twins seem to agree to Makalaurë’s plan. Tyelkormo looks at me, and I nod imperceptibly. 

We will listen to Moringotto’s envoy, and we will find out what he wants from us, but we will bring Maitimo back to our encampment one way or the other. We are not going to abandon him in our enemy’s hands.

* * *

I bear the weight of Finwë’s crown now, at least until Moringotto kills Maitimo, or we manage, somehow, to rescue him. I understand now why Maitimo told me once that he did not want to be King. He was qualified, and would have made a better king than I. Maitimo was level headed when needed and bold when the moment was right. 

I start. 

Why am I speaking of him as if he were dead? He is not, even if my answer to Moringotto’s envoy has sealed his fate. 

We cannot forswear the Oath. No matter what happens to any of us, we have to go on, or we will fall into everlasting darkness. 

Maitimo, what have I done to you? What have we all done to you?

We should never have taken that Oath, but we did, and now we are bound by it. We cannot ask Eru to release us from the Oath, and Aman’s doors are barred against us until the end of Time. 

We are alone. 

“They will understand once they have calmed down,” Tyelkormo says, shaking me out of my musings. 

I look at him. “Will they? Do you, Turko?” 

He helped me calm the others, but I know better. 

“I am calmer now.”

“Yet you are still angry.”

“Of course I am angry, but I understand that you had no choice. We cannot forswear the Oath, even if that means leaving our brother in Moringotto’s hands.”

I close my eyes briefly. “We will try again.”

Tyelkormo nods. 

“And you will not engage in a rescue mission without warning me beforehand. We are stronger together.”

He nods, and I see my pain mirrored in his eyes. It should never have come to this. Father dead and Maitimo held hostage… It should never have been like this, but we are here now, and we have no choice but to go on.


End file.
